PHILADELPHIA -- Its been obvious that since Derrick Rose went down in Game 1 of the Bulls-76ers first-round playoff series, the Bulls have struggled to get production out of the point-guard position. A casual observer might think that C.J. Watson and John Lucas III just dont measure up, but given that they combined to lead the Bulls to an 18-9 record during the regular season without Rose, that doesnt seem to be the case.
Instead, its been the defense of Evan Turner that has been a major deterrent to the two Bulls floor generals, as the 6-foot-7 swingman has smothered the two point guards with his length. While the Chicago native, a villain in his hometown after his comments prior to the series, has been up and down on the offensive end of the court, his defensive acumen has prevented the scoring-minded duo from making a major dent offensively, as well as hampering the Bulls overall offensive timing.
Sometimes I guard a point guard. I guard Rondo from the Celtics. Its not the first time Ive done it or anything like that. Ive done it a few times in college, so Im acclimated to it and Im probably better on the ball, Turner recently told CSNChicago.com. Every team has their advantages and disadvantages, and its up to the coaches to use to make sure they use their advantages as best as they can, and make sure they hide their disadvantages. Some games, you do a great job at it. Some games, you cant. Thats just how basketball is.
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I think basketballs all about positioning and how fast you get to the spot, and execution, so defense is all about position and offense is all about execution and setting things up. Sometimes, its not always about athleticism, he continued to explain. Ive been able to get a little bit more opportunity to gain experience in certain key moments of the season and its helped a lot. Each game is extremely important to me, to my development, and I think Ive grown a lot and matured a lot.
The former No. 2 overall draft pick also discussed the fact that he believes his comments about how the Sixers were lucky to draw the Bulls in the first round instead of the Heat, which dispatched Philadelphia in last years postseason, were misconstrued.
I didnt care about any of that, to tell you the truth. What they were mad at me about was sensationalized by the media and thats the playoffs, he said. Its going to happen and Id much rather it happen to me than anybody else. I wasnt playing versus the fans. I was playing versus the Bulls, so that was it.